Books have always been fuel for business leaders. They shape how CEOs think about strategy, culture, and even their personal lives. What’s interesting isn’t just what they read, but why. Some draw lessons from psychology and philosophy while others lean on memoirs or fiction to inspire new ways of thinking. Below, we explore a range of leaders, from household names to scrappy founders, and the books they say changed how they lead.
Book: Mindset by Carol Dweck
Nadella has often said this book transformed Microsoft’s culture from “know-it-all” to “learn-it-all.” For him, the takeaway is simple: if leaders model curiosity and openness, entire organizations become more innovative.
Book: The Long Game by Dorie Clark
Nooyi praises this book for its focus on patience and long-term thinking which is a lesson she applied in PepsiCo’s shift toward healthier products. Her belief is that businesses that play the long game outlast short-term hype.
Book: The Foundation Trilogy by Isaac Asimov
Rather than a business manual, Musk points to science fiction as inspiration. Asimov’s sprawling story of civilizations rising and falling taught him to think about humanity’s future on a planetary scale. A theme baked into his many companies and their futuristic visions.
Book: The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
Buffett still calls this “the best book on investing ever written.” It shaped his philosophy of value investing by looking for durable, long-term value rather than chasing trends. And for a man named “The Oracle of Omaha”, it might be worth taking his recommendation here.
Book: The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
Blakely often recommends this slim volume on personal integrity and communication. She credits its lessons on being impeccable with your word and not taking things personally as key to handling rejection while building her brand.
Book: A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Schultz has said he admires how Obama reflects on leadership, compromise, and responsibility under pressure. For Schultz, this echoes the challenges of running a global company with competing stakeholders.
Book: Small Is Beautiful by E.F. Schumacher
Chouinard embraces this book’s argument that economics should prioritize people and the planet over raw profit. Patagonia’s environmental activism is practically a case study in Schumacher’s principles.
Book: The Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Walker, who built products for underserved Black consumers, says Wilkerson’s history of the Great Migration gave him perspective on resilience and representation. Lessons that informed his mission-driven entrepreneurship.
Book: Shoe Dog by Phil Knight
Perkins cites this Nike founder memoir as a blueprint for the grit behind startups. She sees parallels in Knight’s persistence against skepticism, which inspired her own push to turn Canva into a design giant. And judging by the results, it has worked.
Book: The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
Tata has said this book shaped his early thinking about sticking to one’s principles and pursuing vision even when others doubt you. For one of India’s most respected business leaders, the message was clear. Success isn’t just about scale, it’s about integrity and conviction.
Book: The Book of Five Rings by Miyamoto Musashi
Packed with technical advice by one of the greatest samurais to exist, the writings touch on a number of principles that business leaders have taken to heart. Advice on leadership, efficiency, and adaptability to ever changing conditions play a large role. Turner has said that the book has helped in his part to develop Custom Comet into a leader in their industry.
Book: The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber
Running an independent bookstore isn’t easy in the age of Amazon, but Fitzgerald credits this classic small business guide with helping her turn things around. Its lessons on building systems and treating even a tiny shop like a “real business” helped her move from just breaking even to real profitability.
Book: Company of One by Paul Jarvis
Sung, who creates sustainable products for urban gardeners, says this book helped her embrace the idea that not every business has to scale endlessly to be successful. For her, staying intentionally small and focused on purpose has been just as fulfilling as chasing hyper-growth. Not everyone seeks to be a massive conglomerate.
Book: The Lean Startup by Eric Ries
Chacón, who runs a small artisan chocolate company, credits this book with helping him approach product development and scaling methodically. He says it taught him to test ideas quickly, learn from customer feedback, and iterate without overextending resources. A mindset that’s crucial for small businesses competing against larger brands.
What These Picks Reveal
Looking across these leaders, a few patterns stand out:
Not all business books are business books. From sci-fi (Foundation) to memoir (Shoe Dog), inspiration comes in surprising places.
Personal philosophy matters. Leaders like Sara Blakely, Tristan Walker, Adah Fitzgerald, and Denise Sung choose books that shape how they deal with people, not just strategy.
Ethics and society are front and center. Yvon Chouinard, Indra Nooyi, and Ratan Tata gravitate toward books about sustainability, equality, and integrity.
Reading is reflective. Leaders don’t just read to gather tactics; they use books as mirrors for their own values, ambitions, and blind spots.
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